Kahramanmaraş

Kahramanmaraş

The place where the war of independence of Maraş started, is a pioneering city where the Turkish nation rose to its feet, shook itself, and revolted against the occupying armies. It is the only province awarded the Independence Medal by the Turkish Grand National Assembly for its local struggle against the French invaders during the War of Independence. Again with this decision, the old name of Maraş was changed to Kahramanmaraş. The famous Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi, in his Travelogue, says for the people of Maraş, their language is Turkic and most of the time the people are Turkmen. Although the Avşar, Bayat and Beydili tribes of the Oghuzs are in the majority in Maraş and its environs, almost all 24 Oghuz tribes are present. More than 84% of the province is composed of Turks, 13% of Kurds and 3% of Caucasian origins. Its districts are Merkez, Afşin, Andırın, Çağlayancerit, Dulkadiroğlu, Ekinözü, Elbistan, Göksun, Nurhak, Onikisubat, Pazarcık and Türkoğlu. Kahramanmaraş is the 18th largest city of Turkey with its Central Population exceeding 1,144,851. At the same time, Kahramanmaraş is one of the 23 provinces in Turkey with a total population of over 1 million. Kahramanmaraş, which received the title of Metropolitan in 2012 and is world-famous for its tattoo ice cream, was awarded the Medal of Independence for its resistance in the War of Independence. The traditional Uludaz Ladybug Festival, which offers the opportunity to see millions of ladybugs, is held in the province, which has an important place in our country with its recreation areas, plateaus, caves, bazaars, historical houses and food culture.